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Graduate Theses and Dissertations
5-2012
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Jonathan Montgomery Green
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
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Green, J. M. (2012). Playing Devil's Advocate: The Attractive Shakespearean Villain. Graduate Theses and
Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/320
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PLAYING DEVIL’S ADVOCATE: THE ATTRACTIVE SHAKESPEAREAN VILLAIN
PLAYING DEVIL’S ADVOCATE: THE ATTRACTIVE SHAKESPEAREAN VILLAIN
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts in English
By
Jonathan M. Green
University of Arkansas
Bachelor of Arts in English, 2010
May 2012
University of Arkansas
ABSTRACT
The characters of William Shakespeare have spawned countless words of critical
interpretation inspired by the playwright’s aptitude for fashioning intricate and conflicted figures.
As a master character craftsman, Shakespeare is consistent in creating fascinatingly deep
characters, and many of them have even gone so far as to generate entire literary archetypes.
From the contemplative Prince Hamlet to the despicable yet charming John Falstaff,
Shakespeare's characters remain eternal representatives of what any good character should be:
interesting, provocative, and complicated.
However, among the playwright’s most hypnotic figures are his villains, those characters
whom audiences should by all counts detest but cannot help but find alluring. Some of these
villains have attracted more critical attention than others. For instance, Iago, the scheming fiend
of Othello, has forever mesmerized audiences and critics alike with his almost supernatural
penchant for evil. Other villains, like the passionate firebrand of 1 Henry IV, Henry “Hotspur”
Percy, are perhaps less discussed but still produce an equally ambivalent response from their
audiences. This thesis specifically aims to answer two questions. First, what makes these
villains attractive to their readers and viewers? Why do they produce such a strongly ambivalent
response from their audiences—how do they manage to simultaneously repel and attract us?
More importantly, however, the thesis speculates on Shakespeare's reasons for creating such
captivating antagonists. In other words, what was the playwright trying to do by forging villains
whom we have no choice but to admire?
The thesis is divided into four chapters, each of which will focus on a particular villain
from Shakespeare’s plays: Hotspur from 1 Henry IV, Iago from Othello, Richard from Richard
III, and Macbeth from Macbeth. While these are by no means the only Shakespearean villains
worthy of critical assessment, nor are they the playwright’s only attractive villains, they do
nonetheless serve as prime examples of how Shakespeare uses the archetype of the attractive
villain to some dramatic end. Each chapter will first explore the ways in which that character is
particularly alluring, and then it will move into a consideration of Shakespeare’s intent in
producing the uncannily attractive villain.
Additionally, each chapter will conclude by supposing the villain to be a figurehead for a
hypothetical “class” of literary villains. For example, one villain could represent a class of
villains who are attractive because of their ambition; another could represent villains who entice
audiences through their mystery. To that end, the chapters will conclude by offering additional
“members” of that class from other popular literary works, some from before Shakespeare, some
from after Shakespeare, and some from his contemporary authors.
The goal of this thesis is to explore the archetype of the attractive villain and to offer
reasons for Shakespeare’s apparent fondness—and aptitude—for it. While the goal of any
academic endeavor should always be discovery, it need not always find one satisfactory
answer—rare is the academic pursuit that ends in certainty. However, by delving into the worlds
of these villains, by playing a bit of devil’s advocate in analyzing Shakespeare’s elaborate
characterization process, we can discover what makes them such effective and eternal members
among the great personalities of literature.
This thesis is approved for recommendation
to the Graduate Council.
Thesis Director:
Dr. Joseph Candido
Thesis Committee:
Dr. William Quinn
Dr. Joshua Smith
THESIS DUPLICATION RELEASE
I hereby authorize the University of Arkansas Libraries to duplicate this thesis when needed for
research and/or scholarship.
Agreed __________________________________
Jonathan M. Green
Refused ___________________________________
Jonathan M. Green
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks are due to Doctors Joseph Candido, William Quinn, and Joshua Smith,
without whom the completion of this thesis would be impossible.
Thanks also go out to the University of Arkansas Department of English for their strong
commitment to helping students achieve their academic goals.
DEDICATION
This edition of Playing Devil’s Advocate is dedicated to my patient and cooperative
thesis committee, as well as to my supportive wife, Lucia.
Description:This edition of Playing Devil's Advocate is dedicated to my patient and cooperative thesis committee, as us to this manipulative symbol of evil? What mysterious . fascination with the occult and the forbidden. A dark hero-villain for
